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Email Blast to FLL Coaches 1/16/19 Semifinal Notes from the Head Referee

01/16/2019 | FIRST LEGO LEAGUE | Announcements

Hello Coaches!

I have 3 items for you today! Who’s excited for this weekend??

• Notes from the Head Referee: Semi-Finals Edition

• Semifinal Locations and Schedules

• Semifinal and Championship Requirements

Notes from the Head Referee: Semi-Finals Edition

General Note: Please do not assume that Semi-Finals will be “called” exactly the same way that your Qualifier was “called”. In general, referees will be less lenient on “benefit of the doubt” calls because the level of competition has increased. There may be game updates that change a particular ruling, and it is also possible that a referee made an incorrect call (in favor of or against your team) at the Qualifier.

Robot Inspection: All teams will be REQUIRED to complete a robot inspection at the competition fields in the morning. A Referee will review your robot to ensure it complies with all of the rules. After completing the review, the team will run through a mock-match. This allows the referee to see the robot in all of its starting configurations and warn the team if the robot is not in compliance with the rules. Teams will only go through inspection one time and will not be inspected at each table. However, it is recommended that teams practice on all fields on which they will compete. This allows each referee to see the robot and check starting configurations prior to competition matches. Teams do not need to do anything to prepare for these inspections and will not need their Robot Executive Summary.

In the practice field queue, teams waiting for an inspection will have priority over teams simply waiting to practice. The entire team does not need to be present at the inspection.

What are the main things the referee will check during inspection?

• The robot and all equipment must be made entirely of LEGO-manufactured building elements in original factory condition. Just because a part is LEGO-compatible doesn’t mean it is LEGO-manufactured, make sure your parts comply with the rules.Any string or rubber band must be made by LEGO. Any marks should be for identification purposes and in a hidden area. (R01)

• The team may have up to four total motors. This does not mean four at one time, but four individual motors over the course of the match. (R03)

• There is no limit on the number of sensors, but there is a limit to the type of sensors the team may use. (R04)

• The robot and everything under the team’s control it’s about to move or use must fit completely in Base prior to launch. (R12)

Why is this different than qualifiers? At qualifiers, many teams are still putting the finishing touches on their robot, programs, or presentations. As referees, we usually see less than half of the teams during the morning practice times. A majority of teams wouldn’t be ready for the inspection, especially with many teams competing for the first time.

R09: “After getting to the Field ON TIME, you have AT LEAST ONE MINUTE to prepare”. Teams will not have an unlimited amount of time setup their robots and should be capable of setting up their robot in approximately one minute. There are no penalties for taking longer than one minute to setup the robot, but the referees have the authority to start the match even if the team is not ready.

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Semifinal Locations

You can find the Locations and schedules for the events on the events page here

*Please note- The venue for the Lacey event has been changed from Chinook MS to Salish MS where the qualifier was held. The map on the semifinal event page has not been updated yet.

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Semifinal and Championship Requirements:

Hopefully all teams are prepared! Each team will be required to turn in a roster at their semifinal event.There are also other additional requirements for teams attending a Semifinal and Championship Event. Teams can review the requirements at the links below: